taken by the interim government and further steps that we may take as necessary with respect to the u.s./egyptian relationship. hi, everybody, good morning i'm thomas roberts breaking news topping the hour on our agenda today. less than an hour ago president obama weighed in on the escalating violence from egypt in a statement from martha's vineyard. we'll get the tape playback from the news conference and we'll reair it in full. president obama's comments come on the heels of an attack by pro-morsi supporters. this is what is happening on the streets of cairo 24 hours since the arab spring upriding. supporters of ousted muslim brotherhood president mohammed morsi are not backing down. here's what we know right now at least 525 people are dead. more than 3700 injured in the des make of two protest camps

and incredibly egypt's health ministry says those numbers are expected to rise. hopes for democracy are fading fast. the vice president stepped down. protesters said they'll rather die than give up the fight. the big question now what can the u.s. do? nbc's attorney correspondent is in cairo, bring us up to speed. >> the situation on the ground remains extremely volatile. within the last couple of hours there's been a massive protest on one of the government buildings on a cairo suburb, hundreds of protesters approached that government building, effect lively torching it molotov cocktails and using live ammunition. we under from sources that the workers were evacuated from that building but gives a an example of how tense the situation is. it is a day that they were

trying to restore security. they hope the imposition of a curfew could would dampen the tension. but that is not the case for the supporters. one thing that you pointed out. funeral preparations are under way for those killed by the egyptian military and police also were holding funerals for the soldiers that were killed. nearly 43 members of egyptian security forces were killed yesterday. today they had their funerals. what makes it tense in the coming hours, these protests are being organized by the muslim brotherhood. they are not being deterred by the strong arm tactics of the egyptian police. >> i want to bring in kristen. you were there on the heels of the press briefing given yesterday condemning the violence but very strong words from the president and at the same time reminding egyptians

that they have a friend in the american people but we can't really determine their future. >> right. and i think that was the crux of president obama's message. he did take his message a step further by announcing that the united states would be canceling their joint military exercises with egyptta are scheduled for next month. we should point out these are biannual exercises that date back to the 1980s. this is certainly a strong symbolic move. but the president today talking about the complexity of the situation on the ground in egypt as they try to, or as they have stated that they are trying to get to a democratic government. but also, the complexity when it comes to the united states's relationship with egypt. of course, they are a key ally in a very difficult region of the world. so president obama acknowledging both of those realities today. part of what is making this such a difficult situation to navigate for the obama

administration. as you point out, thomas, part of the -- one of the big points that he made was ultimately this is up to egyptians. take a listen to a little more what president obama had to say. >> america cannot determine the future of egypt. that's a task for the egyptian people. we don't take sides with any particular party or political figure. i know it's tempting inside of egypt to blame the united states or the west or some other outside actor for what's gone wrong. we've been blamed by supporters of morsi, we've been blamed by the other side as if we are supporters of morsi. that kind of approach will do nothing to help egyptians achieve the future that they deserve. >> reporter: and, thomas, while we are waiting for reaction to come in, i suspect part of what you'll hear are some lawmakers

making the point this doesn't go far enough. we know senator john mccain has been consistently calling on the united states to pull back and to end the $1.3 billion in military aid that it sends to egypt every year. there are some democrats that have gotten on board with that as well. representative keith ellieson making that same point yesterday. bipartisan calls for the united states to take a much tougher stance of president obama continuing to get updated on the situation in egypt while he continues his vacation here on martha's vineyard but coming out and condemning the violence in the strongest terms after holding a meeting with the entire national security team. >> kristen, there was someone that tried to fire off a question about military aid and the president didn't answer. >> that's right. you heard questions getting shouted after president obama had wrapped up his remarks. he did not take the bait. he did not answer those questions. we know that the administration's stance has been that they are still reviewing

that $1.3 billion in aid. the other step that the u.s. has taken is to not send four f-16 fighter jet to egypt. that's something that happened several weeks ago. some people will say these steps are simply a slap on the wrist. but we do know that the administration continues to review its policy as the unrest continues in that region. >> all right, kristen, stand by. i want to go back to ahmen. the statement is now going to filter through the twittousphere. he said we appreciate the complexity of the election. while mohammed morsi was elepthed his government was not influencive and did not respect the opinions of all egyptians. there's inth new government that's supposed to be in charge that has a more democratic

influx to it because the of the fact they persecuted morsi and got him out. why not let protesters continue in peaceful demonstrations than drive them out with this military crackdown? >> president obama's comments, if you read between the lines, he's really trying to apiece a lot of egyptian groups. he didn't use the word coup, he called it military intervention. he did recognize the short comings of hoe ham med morsi. more importantly the exercise that was canceled, they had a whole most of things they could use whether on the international stage. but it canceled a very unique military exercise and by doing so sending a specific message. not to the society but to the egyptian military and expressing reservation how the egyptian military is conducting it.

it's the military that wields all the power. yes tlrgs a civilian government but it's not elected. the former vice president expressed his reservations by resigning. it's undermined the current government. now the message is certainly going to anger a lot here, you can see in between the lines he's trying to address the whole political spectrum between those two supported the actions and crackdown and those who support former president mohammed morsi. >> i want to bring in dennis ross joining us from jerusalem. i have a rough draft of the president's remarks and we'll turn around that tape as soon as we get it in roughly eight minutes and play it in full. what do you get of the message that he's trying to say while the blood shed continues in these clashes taking place in

cair cairo? >> i think the president is trying to walk a strategic tight rope. on the one hand he wants to demonstrate that we cannot be indifferent to this kind of blood shed. on the other hand, he wants to show that we under it's a very complicated situation within egypt. the muslim brotherhood is trying to portray itself as purely peaceful demonstrators we know they've been accumulating arms at the same time they've been carriage out these sit-ins and the military is looking at what's happening as a kind of existential threat with egypt. we don't want to lose a relat n relationship with the egyptian militarily is the key to try to preserve peace with israel and key to maintain a relationship with other countries like jordan, saudi arabia and other gulf states. what the president is trying to do is send a message that you

got to try to contain this but at the same time he doesn't want us to lose all our potential influence within egypt at a time when it may effect much larger regional issues not to mention what's happening in egypt itself. one last point on this. the president also understands that we became perceived as somehow, wetter we wanted to or not. to associated with the muslim brotherhood in the eyes of the majority of egyptian public. the military intervened but the military intervened in a context where there's a popular reaction of the muslim brotherhood and morsi. i think the president is trying to find a place where we can maintain influence in egypt, not alienate the majority of egyptian public yet by the same token, make it clear to the military. the answer can't be just arresting half of the muslim brotherhood and killing the other half. >> it seems the polarization is

running really deep. yet those numbers, 525 at least confirmed dead and those numbers expected to go up. one of the things the president said, ambassador, there will be false starts. there will be difficult days. it took us through mighty struggles to perfect our union we know it's not measured in months or years but sometimes generations. we know the seeds of democracy have been planted in egypt but without a guiding force from america's hand how can we expect those seeds to take root? >> well, i think the key challenge here is for us somehow to recognize two different factors. factor number one is we're not the author of what is taking place in egypt. factor number two is, we still embody a set of principles and values. and many throughout the world, certainly many within egypt want

to see the united states associated with those values and the challenge for us, how do we recognize the two conflicting impulses, how do we ensure that we can still have a voice that many in egypt will listen to and how do we make it clear that while it's very difficult to build a democracy out of a vacuum, you have 40 years of an authoritarian rule within egypt. there was no basic uinstitutionl reality that was there to shape a new political culture that would emphasize democracy or rule of law. there was no real institutions of civil society there to build this kind of mutual accommodationally is the key to being able to develop a democracy. so, we're working with an environment that doesn't lend itself very well to building democracy at a time when there is a polarization and use the right word. there is a polarization in egypt. although i would say the

majority of egyptians are against the muslim brotherhood and we're somehow trying to channel or use whatever influence we have to move things in a direction that makes it more likely that the possibility of democracy can be developed rather than less likely. it's a very difficult tight rope to somehow walk. it's a very difficult strategic balance to strike but our stakes in egypt are such, our desire to preserve peace in the area are such. it's very important for us to try to strike that strategic balance with all of the difficulties that it involves. >> kristin, when we talk about the president's message and who he's trying to speak to. as we've seen it's the military crackdown and the military relied on the egyptian people to get morsi out. explain where the president is trying to aim this message? is it the interim government, is it the military or is it unknown who exactly is calling the sh s

shot shots? >> i think right now, it's -- it probably is the military calling the shots but i think maybe the most important thing for the military as well is to allow this civilian government to show that it has power, to make decisions, to adopt the kind of posture that allows them to begin to offer govern nance and effectiveness in governess and to show they can build institutions for democracy including for example, civil society. there is a strong desire in egypt to shape a different future. one of the -- i think one of the key factors here and one of the things that would allow this new government to demonstrate its credibility would be would they move to produce new laws for nongovernmental institutions and organizations? would they pardon those who were found guilty by the morsi

government, who were prosecuted, members of nongovernmental organizations who were trying to build political parties, will they pardon them? will they support a new law that will allow these kinds of nongovernmental organizations, including with systems from the outside to come in and build political parties for the future. these would be steps. combination of engages in effective governance to deal with the economy, but also trying to build what are the key institutions for creating democratic rule over time. so i think we do want to see much more of the civilian faces of government. we want to see the civilian face show that it has powers and the military needs to demonstrate that while it's prepared to try to support law and order and try and limit the scope of the violence, by the same token. it really needs to show that there is an interim government that has a civilian face and it's not just a cover for what the military does, it, in fact,

is going to be empowered. i think that's critical. >> ambassador, stand by. kristen is back with us. if you hear the ambassador about egypt's process of reconciliation, we know what the military is capable of in that country. now the president is saying he's going to use the national security team and the muscle, that is, of secretary of state john kerry who was just recently in cairo. what is the on us that put us back diplomatically on state. >> i think that's critical. i think john kerry is going to be critical moving forward. i wouldn't be surprised if we saw him take a trip to the region in the coming days. that is certainly something that must be under consideration and discussion right now. thomas, as this process moves forward. certainly the administration trying to send a very strong message to the interim government by announcing that they are cancelling this humanly

symbolic military exercise. essentially saying, look. we cannot continue with this partnership as it stands and given the violence that is unfolding. so the administration is sending what it hopes will be a strong message. you heard ayman point out certainly a lot of people will be roiled by this announcement in egypt but the question is what impact will it have. i think moving forward the administration will have to get deeply engaged on what is happening to terms of reaching out to their counterparts in egypt. that's why we expect to see john kerry take a trip to the region. i wouldn't be surprised if we saw that happening in the near future. i understand we are going to get the president's remarks played back momentarily so we can actually see the optics behind that brief statement that he made. as i pointed out earlier. there are going to be some people who say toth announcement doesn't go car enough and really what is critical and what would

send the strongest message is that $1.3 billion in military aid. you have to think that is certainly something that the white house is considering withholding but again, given the complexity of this situation and relationship between the u.s. and egypt, they are just not ready to announce they're withholding that yet. thomas. >> chris, we have that full playback. let's watch. >> i wanted to provide an update about our response to the events of the last several days. let me begin by stepping back for a moment. the relationship between the united states and egypt goes back decades. it's rooted in our respect of egypt as a nation. and ancient center of civilization and a corner stone for peace in the middle east. it's also rooted in our ties to the egyptian people. forged through a long-standing partnership. just over two years ago, america was inspired by the egyptian

people's desire for change. as millions of egyptians took to the streets to defend their dignity and demand a government that was responseive to their aspirations for political freedom and economic opportunity. we said at the time the change would not come quickly or easily but we did align ourselves with a set of principles, nonviolence, a respect for universal rights and a process for political and economic reform. in doing so, we were guided the values but also by interests. because we believe nations are more stable and more successful, when they're guided by those principles as well. and that's why we're so concerned about recent events. we appreciate the complexity of the situation while mohammed morsi was elected president in a democratic election, his government was not inclusiveinc and did not respect the views of

all egyptians. we know that many egyptians, millions of egyptians, perhaps even the majority of egyptians were call forge a change in course and while we do not believe that force is the way to resolve political differences, after the military's interseveral weeks ago, there remained a chance for reconciliation and an opportunity to pursue a democratic path. instead, we've seen a more dangerous path taken through arbitrary arrests, a broad crackdown on mr morsi's associations and supporters and now tragically, the violence that's taken the lives of hundreds of people and wound thousands more. the united states strongly condemns the steps that have been taken by egypt's interim government and security forces. we deplore violence against

civilians. we support universal rights essential to human dignity including the right to peaceful protest. we oppose the pursuit of martial law which denies those rights to citizens under the principle that security trumps individual freedom, or that mite makes right and today the united states extends its condolences to the families of those that were killed and those who were rounded. given the depths of our partnership with egypt, our national security interests in this pivotal part of the world and our belief that engagement can support a transition back to a democratically elected civilian government, we've sustained our commitment to egypt and its people. but while we want to sustain our relationship with egypt, our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets. and rights being rolled back. as a result, this morning, we

notified the egyptian government that we are canceling our biannual joint military exercise which was scheduled for next month. going forward i've asked my national security team to assess the implications of the actions taken by the interim government and for the steps that we may take as necessary with respect to the u.s./egyptian relationship. let me say that the egyptian people deserve better than what we've seen over the last several days. and to the egyptian people, let me say, the cycle of violence, and escalation needs to stop. we call on the egyptian authorities to respect the universal rights of the people. we call on those who are protesting to do so peacefully and condemn the attacks that we've seen by protesters, including on churches. we believe that the state of emergency should be lifted, that a process of national

reconciliation shall begin that all parties need to have a voice in egypt's future, that the rights of women and religious minorities should be respected and commitments must be kept to pursue transparent reforms of the constitution and democratic elections of a parliament and president. pursuing that path will help egypt meet the democratic aspirations of its people while attracting investment, tour isment and international support that can help it deliver opportunities to its citizens. violence on the other hand will only feed the cycle of polarization that isolates egyptians from one another and from the world and that continues to hamper the opportunity for egypt to get back on the path of economic growth. let me make one final point. america cannot determine the future of egypt. that's a task for the egyptian people. we don't take sides with any particular party or political figure. i know it's tempting inside of

egypt to blame the united states or the west or some other outside actor for what's gone wrong. we've been blamed by supporters of morsi. we've been blamed by the other side as if we are supporters of morsi. that kind of approach will do nothing to help egyptians achieve the future that they deserve. we want egypt to succeed. we want a peaceful, democratic, prosperous egypt. that's our interest. but to achieve that, the egyptians are going to have to do the work. we recognize that change takes time and that a process like this is never guaranteed. there are examples in recent history of countries that are transitioned out of a military

government towards a democratic government and it did not always go in a straight line and the process was not always smooth. there are going to be false starts. there will be difficult days. america's democratic journey took us through some mighty struggles to perfect our union. from asia to the americas we know that democratic transitions or not measured in months, or years but sometimes in generations. so in the spirit of mutual interest and mutual respect, i want to be clear that america wants to be a partner in the egyptian people's pursuit of a better future and we are guided by our national interest in this long-standing relationship but our partnership must also advance the principles that we believe in. and so many egyptians have sacrificed these last several years, no matter what party fact ion they belong to.

that they rest on a fuhr that that rests on peace and dignity. thank you very often. again that was the full remarks by the president this morning taking a break from his vacation to come out and condemn violence we've been witnessing, over 500 people have died. our kristen welker is traveling with the president. she's on martha's vineyard. the question that was asked about the aid given to see scri egypt is basically the only thing the u.s. has, for lack of a better term is the financial leverage of that money to see if they can reverse course. >>s it ate strongest piece of leverage that the united states has that $1.3 billion in military aid. you heard the reporter there shout the question, will you withhold aid? he didn't take the bait. he didn't answer the question. also, absent from the president's remarks, whether or not he views what happened in

egypt as a coup. he acknowledged it was a military takeover of a democratically elected government but he won't go so far as to define this as a coup for legal reasons. if he does, if the administration weighs in on that question and determines ifth was in fact a coup, under the law the u.s. would almost certainly have to withhold that $1.3 billion in aid. the united states sort of still holding that dangling that out in front of the interim government. i think, hoping that that will be used as pressure for the government to crackdown on this violence and usher in a democratically elected government as quickly as problem. of course the president acknowledging the complexity of the situation on the ground in egypt and broader in terms of a larger relationship with u.s. and egypt. >> thank you for joining in on our conversations, we're following breaking news with the president's results.

also ayman for joining us. straight ahead we'll be talking about a landmark case taking place in the supreme court -- excuse me, from the supreme court striking down the defence of marriage act. will a judge decide the ruling paves the way for marriage equality in new jersey? we'll talk about that after this. seriously! yeah - and it's on verizon's network. sweet! we can stay in touch when we go to school next year. that's so great! get the samsung galaxy s 4 for only $148 on verizon - america's largest 4g lte network. walmart.

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no wait...i'm here forever! ha ha ha! [ female announcer ] bargain brand cooking spray can leave annoying residue. but pam leaves up to 99% less residue. pam helps you keep it off. republican house speaker newt gingrich is calling out his fellow republican speaking at the republican national committee's annual summer meeting going on in boston. he said the party has to stop being so negative and start talking about ideas. >> if you go home in the next two weeks while members of congress are home and you look them in the eye and say what is your positive replacement for obama care, they will have zero answers. because we are caught up right now in a culture. you see it every single day. where, as long as we're negative and as long as we're vicious, and as long as we can tear down our opponent we don't have to

learn anything. >> republicans meeting to map out their strategy for the future which includes taking back the senate and white house. rnc chair says the party has to engage voter on a regular basis and get on the ground in all communities. >> we're the party of equality and freedom and opportunity. not the other side. but we don't tell anyone. you wouldn't know it. you wouldn't know it. because we don't talk about it. promoting the brand, unlimited opportunity for everyone in america. not the 47. but the 100%. >> joining me now live from boston is shawn spicer, communications director for the rnc. good morning. great to have you here. >> what's your react to newt gingrich's comments. is the republican party going to listen to that? because it seems as if he's almost calling them out for bucking the rnc's list of goals after the spring autopsy of

2012. >> specifically on obama care what the speaker went on to say while the republicans have solutions on health care he believes they should be wrapped up in a comprehensive way to pose a clear alternative to obama care as opposed to resolutions that address specific aspects of health care. the broader point, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. be critical after the current demonstration of democrats and liberals but we need to present america with a much more positive image which our party is better for freedom. for opportunity for every american that's something we'll continue to work on. >> since the spring autopsy, what specifically have republicans done to institute the rnc's band-aid that came out of that? there was the discussion of the growth and opportunity inclusion council. has that started? >> yes, the chairman was at the naacp meeting. he spoke the a spanish organization. he spoke to countless asian

organizations throughout the country and some of these don't get national attention. but he's been out in california, georgia, texas, going around the country not just with national groups but with state and local organizations that deal with different communities in having these meetings, but, yes, on a countless basis, on a daily basis, we are reaching out to communities that we traditionally have not been involved in in the past. >> newt gingrich also said the parties should be more about hope, more of a hopeful message comes from the gaop. i want to play part of that. >> we have to be a party of optimism and hope. part of what we have to do in the era of oh balm moo's disaster. we have to go beyond being an anti-obama but convince people you have to have hope in america. we can have a bitter future. >> how do you recommend if people get in line. like conservatives like ted

cruz, how do you get through to somebody like them. somebody who is in d.c. threatening to shut down the government over the affordable health carability or steve king who called many young undocumented immigrants drug mules. >> one of the things we're doing right now at the meeting, we're highlighting some of what we're calling rising stars. there are four individuals that people can go online and we'll have them prominently featured on gop.com. we're highlighting people like t.w. shannon, speaker of the house. marillyn garcia, state representative from new hampshire. going out there and saying the republican party is not inclusive, everything that goes on in washington, d.c., we've got tremendous city council members, mayors, legislators, governors, we have to highlight those people doing amazing things. part of what we have to do is stop focusing on everything that happens in washington, d.c. and

highlight great people that make our parties strong throughout the country. >> the website that you mention, if you go to the first thing you see, is sign the petition against cnn and nbc and the rnc threatened to end the partnership and hosting the 2016 gop primary debates if they don't cancel plans for the bio picks of hillary clinton. there's a piece out that says god grant reince priebus the serenity -- i think people recognize the serenity prayer. you'll be voting on this. no one is bringing at cnn. are you making a huge mistake with this at all? >> not at all. nobody had a problem when chris matthews moderated two republican debates. that's insane. to let a democratic operative to moderate a debate between our

candidates is crazy. why can't we stand up as a party and say, we should actually start to have networks and moderators that care about who the best candidate is who are going to represent the questions and concerns of our grass roots when it comes to debates and not get tagged and pulled around by media companies and moderators that have an agenda of their own. >> does that mean you want to scream into an echo chamber? you're trying to go around the country and meet with different organizations, different community outreach programs decided through the rnc's autopsy and now you're going to say we'll take our marbles and go home because you think there is implicit bias -- >> no, no. i think there's a big difference, thomas. what this comes down to is saying we're not going to commit political malpractice and allow people who have a particular agenda, tilting the scales against us to get in the middle and decide who the nominees are going to be. there's countless networks and opportunities.

conservative talk radio has tremendous reach. there's other networks. bloomberg, abc, univision, tell fund doe. go down the list. nbc and cnn is not the tell all an end all how people get their news. there are ways to get our message out to reach voters that don't start with nbc and cnn. >> all right. we'll wait to see how that vote goes. good to see you. enjoy, boston, sir. >> thank you, thomas. >> absolutely. >> we want to sustain our relationship with egypt. our cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets and rights are being rolled back. as a result, this morning we notified the egyptian government that we are canceling our biannual joint military exercise which was scheduled for next month. violence on the other hand will only feed the cycle of polarization that isolates egyptians from one another and

from the world and that continues to hamper the opportunity for egypt to get back on path of economic growth. >> that was president obama speaking roughly an hour ago on deadly eruption of violence in egypt this week and muslim brotherhood started today's protest march from a mosque where the bodies of those killed in the violence are housed. and a day after security forces cleared two protests camps accept o set up by supporter of former president mohammed morsi. louisa loveluck is a junalist with "global post" now in partnership with msnbc news, she joins us by phone. explain what you've been witnessing. >> i've seen hundreds of bodies, that are not par of the official death toll. we have families, in the mosque,

trying detective pra desperatel family they lost contact with yesterday and bodies lying on the floor of the mosque. >> the violence you've been witnessing, the clashes that are taking place. talk about the protesters, the pro-morsi people, what are they armed with? >> armed with? they're breaking -- however, there's no evidence that's the case. we have images yesterday showing people with guns. i have not seen that evidence nor have my colleagues. >> louisa, stay safe and we'll talk to you soon. thank you. >> thanks very much. >> so it's going to be the first big test of the landmark supreme

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that's the power of german engineering. the impact of the supreme court's ruling against the defence of marriage act is being tested in a new jersey courtroom. six couples want marriage legalized in the garden state and want same-sex marriages to be recognized in other states. new jersey's senator ray leis t co-author of the book "what's love got to do with it" the case for same-sex marriage. it's great to have you here. as we talked about in court this case is being heard. the state said that's the only thing keeping them from full

equality. science we had the hearing in join to allow same-sex couples to file joint tax returns, lou do you think this will go today? >> it's a slam dunk decision tore the court. the new jersey constitution requires that same-sex couples get the same sex how manies as opposite sex couples. there's over 100 federal laws that deny new jersey same-sex couples benefits. they have to pay taxes that they don't have to and i'm very, very confident that the judge very soon, maybe not today but very soon, will say that marriage equality is the law of the land in the state of new jersey. >> certainly look from maryland, north. pennsylvania and new jersey are glaring exceptions to what is going on in the northeast corridor for marriage equality. when we see governor chris chris tr ti. he vetoed bill.

do you think in principle, that this really should be a legislature issue or are you okay with seeing minority rights put up the majority vote? >> absolutely not. governor christi is on the wrong side of the moral curve on the universe here. you don't put rights guarantee under the constitution up for a vote. he's just trying to get away with taking a stand, a stand that would be unpopular with his republican constituency, he should do the right thing. they should drop their opposition to this lawsuit. they're going to lose it anyway and i expect that's the way to win. >> we've talking to the communications director, sean spicer at the rnc annual meeting. governor christi will be speaking there tooth today. the rnc readopted their platform

against same-sex marriage early this year. do you think chris christie is looking like that moderate republican. they want to see hip as a straight shooter, but when it comes to an issue like this, socially he looks behind the teams. >> chris christie is not a moderate republican. he talks a good game. on issues like this that are very important to the majority of the people of the state of new jersey he's on the wrong side and he should get on the right side. >> great to have you here, sir. thanks for making time for me, i really appreciate it. thanks for the book, too. another court defeat for california's proposition 8 the state's supreme court yesterday refusing to revive the legal challenge for the marriage pan. it was reinstated after a supreme court decision earlier this summer. so, send in the clowns. have you heard about the rodeo crown who got kicked out of the

missouri state for wearing an obama mask in he's been invited to the lone start state insaid. kentucky senator rand paul said no objective evidence that black voters have been disenfranchised at the paul. wpr radio said i don't think there's objective evidence that we're precluding african-americans from voting longer. anthony weiner is getting help on the campaign trail this afternoon. help from his mom who will stump with him today. polls show weiner fourth in place for manhattan's top job and poll numbers are looking better for former governor eliot spitzer. quinnipiac poll puts him ahead in the race for city comp controller. first it was hooters now a san diego trip club said mayor bob filner isn't welcome. check out the signs of filner's

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creating some controversy for k-mart. critics say this is crossing the line. some say it portrays black children as thugs and gangsters and features preteens from the minneapolis-based rap group da rich kids rapping on a school bus about back-to-school shopping. ♪ a limo is for kids ♪ there ain't no adults

note my limb know o is a locker♪ ♪ but i just go right left right click ♪ ♪ i just go right left right click ♪ ♪ then i go through all my brand-new supplies right quick ♪ >> joining me now to sound off on this perceived backlash, joy ann reid for thegrio.com we reached out to k-mart for a statement but haven't heard back yet. "i'm black man in my 30s and i'm tired of the loser gangster thug lifestyles portrayed in music videos calling children thugs, hoodlums and gangster because of a commercial advertising great deals for kids and parents can be pleased with. wake up, people. not everything is a race war. chill out." so we know these are rap lyrics. this is from an after-school

group called beats and rhymes. >> you have k-mart, when i was a kid your mama shops at k-mart was an insult. right? k-mart is trying to rebrand itself. they aren't the first big ticing company to turn to the urban market to try to rebrand themselves and make themselves more up to date and cool. that's their strategy. i am reading a book where it talks about taking advertising right up to the edge, just don't go too far. i don't think in ad goes too far. those kids aren't thugs. they're wearing buttoned-up shirts and glasses and rapping about going to school and their lockers. >> the slight twist on the "yo mama" jokes. >> yo mama's got so much game that she couldn't even store it on that tablet. >> your mama's so fashion forward, the future club? they want those high tops back. >> your mama's so fiscally

responsible she got all that on free lay-away. >> that's -- i mean that is kind of funny. we all remember those kids as jokes. who is this more aimed at? the kids who are going to see k-mart ads and think, maybe we can shop at k-mart, it is kind of cool, or the parents think, they got all these kids in commercials so my kids must think it is cool. kids normally rule the roost, don't they, on what they want for back to school? >> yeah. i showed these ads to my kids this morning to sort of get their take on them. they range from thinking oh, it's very clever to thinking it was kind of corny for k-mart to try this strategy. it is really aimed at making k-mart acceptable to kids so that k-mart seems cooler if that's where you buy your clothes. it is a big deal going back to school shopping. that first day of school, what you have on, kids can be very judgmental about what kids are wearing. i think that portraying these kids, they're very normal. that's not thug language, that's the way kids talk. i think there is a cultural or

generational divide. but that's how kids talk. hip-hop culture is mainstream culture. >> that's why i think uniforms are so great for kids. >> for parents, it is genius. >> i used to wear the same shirt five days in a row. no one knew. you could get away with it until it started to smell or you spilled your milk on it. >> or just spill more milk so it just smells like milk. >> it is interesting, your take. joy ann reid. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 11:00 eastern. my guest, new york city mayoral candidate christine quinn. for o, we've been bringing people together. today, we'd like people to come together on something that concerns all of us. obesity. and as the nation's leading beverage company, we can play an important role. that includes continually providing more options. giving people easy ways to help make informed choices. and offering portion controlled versions

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emergency. at least 525 people were killed yesterday and nearly 4,000 were injured in clashes between egyptian security forces and supporters of the ousted president mohamed morsi. the streets of cairo were calm this morning but not for long. hundreds of supporters of the muslim brotherhood which called yesterday's crackdown a massacre, have attacked the governor's building with molotov cocktails and live ammunition. but according to a spokesman for the brotherhood, we will always be nonviolent and peaceful. we will push forward until we bring down this military coup. hours ago speaking from martha's vineyard, president obama condemned the crackdown by egyptian security forces and announced that the u.s. is canceling joint military exercises planned with egypt next month. president made no mention of u.s. aid to egypt but made clear that the path to democracy for egypt ultimately rests in the hands of the egyptians. >> america